That was a short sorta introduction to what went down when I got here on Tarawa. I couldn't remember everything, leaving home and going here felt like nothing, but now I can describe it to you a little easier, since after the plane crash, I can't get those memories outta my head anymore.
Me and the men marched in twos along this stringy path, where you could see pretty much the whole atoll, and it was a pretty sight, bits of island in the west, the sea in the east. We went down to get to our new base where we'd begin training. I was marching with Connor again and understandably his face was fearful. He turned to me when he thought the Officers weren't nearby and whispered something in my ear, his calm tone sorta changed into panic at this moment in time.
"We're doomed, y'know that Clarence? Doomed! The moment we stepped foot on this island, we-." He got interrupted by Jenna, tapping my arm and clearing her throat loudly so everyone knew what she was looking at. Connor then shut up, and we headed off into more dunes and sand, hoping to miss the Japs shooting at our feet. I gotta admit I was feeling pretty rough on the ground about this training business we got going in for a week's time before we start popping Japs...or getting ourselves slaughtered. The time zone difference was the least of my worries.
Sarge held us up for a moment, where we all gawped and stared at this small fort. All sorts of men patrolling around, other platoon's doing training. Probably why they sent us packing her, so they could get the next regiment in line. Spiked wooden walls made from the palm trees around the place, the odd shelling making a charred crater in the ground around it. The was a medical bay in the center, a resting area in the corner and a food station near the Command Center in the right side of the fort and all sorts of the good stuff we were looking to find in the camp that we wanted. There was also a forest directly opposite us, and exits to our left and right. Sarge held his hand to his forehead, getting the sun outta his beady eyes and begun barking our regiment number at the warden, blurring his words together like he's needing to do a quick one.
"Regiment one-one-two reporting in for orders, Sir! Station the recruits in the forest out back and meet me later for a meeting at six hundred hours sharp! Report that to Brigadier Ford immediately, go!" he finished, before turning his heel back to face us. The guy he was yelling at vamoosed off to wherever the hell Brigadier Ford was.
"IF I hear any o' you soldiers of the United States of America disobeying the orders of your superiors while I'm not here, the consequences will be SEVERE! Do I make myself CLEAR, unit!?" he demanded, which we got used to following by now. The entire unit saluted with your well-known "Sir, yes Sir!" and marched into the camp through to the forest on the opposite side. It got dark real fast, and we don't enjoy the chance we're taking in the forests with Japs doing theirs "Banzais" and whatnot. Benny was behind me and Connor, not sure where Howard and Dwight were at that time. Benny puckered his lips together and said;
"Clarence, how far ya reckon they're taken us? I won't be able snuff anything outta here!" I chuckled at how everyone knew what was happening here and he just points out the damn obvious that dark places are dark. I turned quick and decided to enlighten him.
"Benny Jones, I bet they got an ass-loada bubble dancin' for you to do if you don't shut up." I sneered. He sulked, which I got a kick out of. But he was right, he was indeed. The place had torches littered around the forest since we couldn't see without them. We could just make out a little target practice area in a small clearing, but that didn't make it any less darker than it was. Sarge stopped us here and went off eastwards to some other official and we stood there in the dark, sweaty and tired, hell even a little scared. We did lose some of our unit already after all.
Sarge sorta emerged from nowhere and guided us into some big scrubby looking shack, or what we thought it was at least. It looks like it was made here with the trees. We broke up and sat wherever we could in this little cozy fireplace, Sarge standing in its way. Sat like frigging children in front of him on the floor, he started on us again.
